Circular Motion Worksheet Name ____________________________

Period _____ Date _____________

1. A cyclist turns a corner with a radius of 50m at a speed of 10m/s.

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a. What is the cyclist’s acceleration? 2.2 m/s

b. If the cyclist and cycle have a combined mass of 120kg, what is the force causing them to turn? 240 N

2. A 60 kg Gila monster on a merry-go-round is traveling in a circle with a radius of 3 m at a speed of 2m/s.

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a. What acceleration does the monster experience? 1.33 m/s

b. What is the net force? How does this compare with the monster’s weight? 80 N, 600 N

3. A 515kg roller coaster is at the bottom of a loop with a radius of 10m. If the speed at the bottom of the loop is 20m/s, what
is the force of the track pushing up on the vehicle at this point? 25,750 N

4. A 14000N car traveling at 25m/s rounds a curve of radius 200m. Find the following:
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a. The centripetal acceleration of the car. 3.125 m/s

b. The force that maintains centripetal acceleration. 4375 N

c. The minimum coefficient of static friction between the tires and road that will allow the car to round the curve
safely. 0.3125

5. Timmy the angry teen twirls a dead rat (mass = 2 kg) attached to a rusty chain (length = 1m) in a vertical circle. With what
velocity should Timmy rotate the rodent so that the chain just goes slack (no force in the chain) at the top?
3.16 m/s

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